LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Jan. 3 - Right-to-work: You now have the freedom to work for lower wages

Gov. Rick Snyder first picked the pockets of senior citizens with a new tax on their pensions while giving his business buddies a cut in taxes. Now, he and his Republican cronies have set out to lower the standards of living of the workforce in Michigan, once again, for the benefit of his business buddies.

People in Michigan have always had the freedom to work and a right to work. If workers did not want to join a union, then they went to work where there was no union.

I have never worked where there was a union, but I always knew that every benefit, every job protection I had when working was the result of the struggles and sacrifices of unionized workers on the picket lines. They have my utmost respect, gratitude and support.

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For the people of Michigan who voted for Snyder, against Proposal 2 and who supported the right-to-work law, I hope you will be happy with what you have gained. You will now have the freedom to work for lower wages. You will have the freedom to work in unsafe and unhealthy environments. You will have the freedom to work with no benefits, such as health care, vacation time, sick days, lunch breaks or holidays off. You will have the freedom to work 10, 12, 14 hours a day and a 60-hour or more work week without overtime pay.

You will have the freedom to work with no job protection. That means you can be fired at any time for no justifiable reason. Maybe the boss doesn't like the way you comb your hair.

You will also have the freedom to work without paying union dues, a right you always had. But soon, you will not have the protection and benefits the unions have provided. It will not be next week or next month that they will disappear. It will be a subtle and gradual loss, hardly noticeable at first. But in a year or two years, take measure and see what you have lost. Mark my words: You will have lost a lot more than paying union dues.